Structure 4: Texas Eastern Lake

Sterile grass carp called Amur, used to control unwanted vegetation (click to enlarge)

Sterile grass carp called Amur, used to control unwanted vegetation (click to enlarge)

Texas-Eastern Lake is Site #4 for Margaret Creek Conservancy District (MCCD). Site #4 has a floodwater-retarding dam constructed of compacted earth fill. This structure is classified by ODNR as a hazard Class II dam. The dam is 34 feet high and controls the runoff from 4.2 square miles. A permanent pool of 28 surface acres provides sediment storage. The principal spillway is a reinforced concrete pipe system, which maintains the normal pool level and regulates the passage of flood flows. It consists of an NRCS standard covered top riser with trash rack, a 36-inch diameter reinforced concrete pipe, and a concrete stilling basin as an outlet structure. The emergency spillway is 50 feet wide and is designed to safely pass 6.75 inches of rainfall occurring in a 6-hour period. The dam was also designed to pass 13.4 inches of rain occurring in a 6-hour period without overtopping the dam. A 12-inch diameter lake drain allows the lake to be lowered for maintenance. The primary purpose for Site #4 is flood reduction.

Built in 1970 under The Watershed Protection And Flood Prevention Act by Margaret Creek Conservancy District , the Athens County Board of Commissioners and the Athens Soil and Water Conservation District with assistance of Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Dept. Of Agriculture .